Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a shelving apparatus, and more particularly to a multiple shelving apparatus, wherein two ends of the beam member can be quickly attached to two vertical posts for substantially distributing the weight force of an object to the vertical posts.
Description of Related Arts
A conventional shelf structure comprises four vertical posts vertically extended from four corners of the shelf structure and a plurality of supporting panels horizontally and spacedly coupled at the vertical posts to form a shelving unit for supporting objects. In addition, each supporting panel comprises a plurality of beams coupled between two of the post member and a panel body supported by the beams. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,397 disclosed a beam coupled between two posts B1. As shown in FIG. 1, the beam has an outside vertical wall A1, a bottom wall A2 extending horizontally from the bottom of the vertical wall A1, a top wall A3 extending horizontally from the vertical wall A1 with a vertically downwardly extending wall A4 extending from the top wall A3, an inwardly extending horizontally wall A5 and a vertically downwardly extending wall A6. However, such beam structure has several drawbacks. Accordingly, the beam structure requires two lockers to lock the ends of the beam with the posts B1 respectively. In particular, each locker has a locking mechanism to lock up the bottom wall A2 and the horizontally wall A5 of the beam to the post B1, such that when the object is supported on the supporting panel, the downward weighting force of the object will substantially exert to the bottom wall A2 and the horizontally wall A5 to create stress thereat. Since the bottom wall A2 and the horizontally wall A5 are spacedly extended from the vertical wall A1 of the beam, the excessive downward force of the object will bend the bottom wall A2 and the horizontally wall A5, and even twist the beam. Once the bottom wall A2 or the horizontally wall A5 is bent or deformed, the beam cannot be stably supported by the post B1. In addition, the locking engagement between the beam and the locker requires a clearance in order to enable the bottom wall A2 and the horizontally wall A5 to be locked up with the locker. The clearance will create an unwanted movement between the beam and the post B1. Therefore, the overall structure of the shelving unit become wobble and unstable.
Furthermore, each post B1 has a post wall B2 and a plurality of rectangular openings B3 spacedly formed on the post wall B2. When the beam is coupled at the post wall B2 of the post B1 through the rectangular openings B3, stress will create at the rectangular openings B3 and will transfer to post wall B2. It is worth mentioning that the post B1 is made of rectangular hollow sheet metal, such that the stress at the rectangular opening B3 will tear the post wall B2. Especially when two columns of rectangular openings B3 are formed on the same post wall B2 of the post B1 for connecting with two beams, the two opposed stress force from two beams will oppositely tear the post wall B2 apart. In other words, the overall structure of the shelving unit will be collapsed once the post B1 is broken.